Unexpected
by dramione4lyf
Summary: It's Post-Hogwarts. An unforeseen circumstance brought to light some secrets long buried in the past, Draco Malfoy was- a Mudblood and Hermione Granger was actually- a Malfoy!
1. Chapter 1

**CHAPTER 1**

Five years came to pass after the Battle at Hogwarts. Narcissa and Draco were set free due to Harry and Hermione's testimony and because of that slight disagreement of views with Ron, the Golden Trio was no more. They were still the Golden Trio in the eyes of the Wizarding World but to those who are dearest to them know that it was Ron who turned his back on them; though they remain civil in public. As for Lucius Malfoy, he served five years in Azkaban along with a very hefty sum in damages paid to the Ministry. It was rumored that he gave up the list of his fellow Death Eaters as well as probable locations where they can be found. This helped to shorten his sentence in Azkaban.

It was the day Lucius will finally reunite with his family. Narcissa and Draco were waiting in the lobby of the Ministry for Lucius' release.

After hours of waiting they finally saw Lucius coming down the stairs when suddenly a series of explosion was heard and everything turned blurry and dusty. When the dust settled all Draco could see was a seriously injured almost pale Lucius amidst the rubble. He immediately went to his aid and apparated his father directly to St. Mungo's.

Narcissa was thoroughly distressed that she fainted. They had to keep her sedated as Draco patiently stood by the visitor's area waiting for news on his father's condition. Eventually, a mediwizard approached him and informed him that his father is in a bad condition. The healer mentioned they had to stabilize him by putting him in a magical coma to slow down the progress of his worsening condition. They were only to magically replenish the blood but this will not be enough to sustain him as he lost a lot of blood and because of this the magically induced blood will soon be rejected by his body. According to the mediwizard, the only way to permanently cure his father is to transfuse him with the blood of a very close relative or in this case his son's blood. Draco was relieved that all he had to do was give some of his blood to his father and his father will be up and about in no time. He was about to go with the healers when he heard a loud outcry behind him.

Narcissa cried in protest, "No!"

"Mother, I'll just be with you in a few moments, the healers need my blood so that they can replenish the blood that father lost."

Narcissa can't help but cry, "You're not our son."

**Flashback: 24 years ago**

Narcissa was about to give birth to the Malfoy heir when the Dark Lord summoned her husband, Lucius. Lucius being loyal to the Dark Lord had no choice but to abandon his wife who was almost on labor to answer the Dark Lord's call. However much he regrets leaving his wife, Lucius had to go so as to gain favor with the Dark Lord, after all it was for his family that he's doing this.

Narcissa gave birth and much to her surprise it was a baby girl. She was delighted! Then, she thought of Lucius. He would be disappointed of having a girl as a first-born since it's been centuries that Malfoys always had a male first-born. She was beside herself, she doesn't want her husband disappointed and treat their daughter differently than if she had been born as a baby boy. Narcissa instructed their most loyal house elf Dobby to call for Sybill, whom she heard was a descendant of the famous Cassandra Trelawney.

Sybill Trelawney came and left. Narcissa was still in a daze and then a loud wail was heard inside Narcissa's room. Narcissa can't believe the horrible fortune that awaits their daughter. Sybill envisioned her daughter's life to be in danger from her husband no less. How could that be? Will Lucius hate their daughter that much just because she's not a boy? She doesn't know what to do. That's when she thought of her sister Andromeda. Surely, her kind heart won't turn away her daughter Cassiopeia. At that moment, a plan was formed; she would say to Lucius that their child is a boy and she will take care of her until she becomes a year old while looking secretly for a male baby boy with blond hair and blue eyes to take her place as their son. It wasn't a bad plan apart from having to visit her daughter in secret and lying straight to Lucius' face. All things were covered. She obliviated Sybill of that memory so that no one shall ever know about her daughter's plight and as for the house elves, they do not gossip nor do they interact with Lucius except in very rare instances as she's the one who usually communicates with them being the lady of the manor so on that front she has nothing to worry about. As much as she was averse of disowning her daughter she had to do so immediately before her daughter's name becomes permanently etched in the enchanted family tree. Then in confidence, Narcissa ordered their most trusted house elf Dobby to find a baby boy with blond hair and blue eyes and take him to her.

It was after two weeks when Lucius came back to the manor. He was so excited to hold their child in his arms but she told him that their son was born sickly. It broke her heart to see Lucius' face sadden. Lucius has been out and he doesn't want to risk their son's health for anything he might have come in contact with as he goes about his business doing the Dark Lord's bidding, so he was content with just a brief look at his son and left the room with a heavy heart.

Since then Lucius became accustomed to just taking a peek at his son from a distance. Lucius never questioned Narcissa on why the name in the family tree was very blurry and can't really be read. Narcissa just told him that it might be because their son is unhealthy so it's beyond their control. The only thing he looked forward for though was the good news that his wife imparted to him that he can finally hold his son when he becomes a year old because by that time their son would have gained good enough health.

Narcissa was glad everything went into clock work except for one technicality that of locating a magical baby that she would pass up as a Malfoy. Apparently, blond-blue eyed babies are easy to find but magical ones are very rare. Cassie was almost nearing a year old and Narcissa was almost losing hope when Dobby brought her this little brunette baby boy more or less around four months old. She was about to scold their house elf when she noticed those baby blue-grey eyes staring at her. She then cast a spell to check if magic was in his blood and luckily there it was. All she had to do was permanently charm the hair platinum blond and the hard part would be the very Dark Magic that is involved to bind someone that isn't related by blood to appear as blood-related in order to replace their daughter's name in the family tree which basically entails a blood ritual. She would have to mix this child's blood with the blood of her husband's which she conveniently got one day when her husband went home bloodied from an encounter they had with the Order of the Phoenix.

After casting the spell, all she had to do was wait for a few moments to see if the blood mixes well (turns red) or rejects each other (turns black). She prayed to Merlin that the blood turn to red because when it does it means this child will be the answer to her prayers and will love him as much as she loves her daughter because it is due to him that her daughter will truly be safe. Alas! The blood turned to the desired red color and Narcissa was ecstatic! Her daughter will finally be safe! She thanked the house elf and reminded it never to speak of what transpired to anyone ever.

The baby boy now known as Draco Malfoy celebrated his first birthday. Lucius was glad that his son's name is now readable in the family tree though still a bit blurry at the edges. It bothered him a bit though that for a year old his son appears to be smaller and hasn't even started walking yet. His wife assured him that was because their son was born sickly but has now started to regain his health. Lucius spoiled their son while Narcissa was delighted that the young boy was loved by Lucius.

Narcissa was happy altogether until a month after; Death Eaters attacked Andromeda's home. She got an owl from her sister who's now in hiding informing her that she left her daughter Cassie in an orphanage since she was still so young unlike Nymphadora who's almost 7 years old and she can't have two children with her while she's on the run. Narcissa was frantic she wanted to apparate right away to the orphanage but her sister didn't tell her what orphanage it was or where the orphanage was. All she did was hope that no harm came to her beloved daughter. The following day the news came, the Dark Lord was defeated by Harry Potter. Lucius despite being a follower of the Dark Lord was in high spirits. No longer will they live in fear of what the Dark Lord can do to his family. Narcissa pretended to be happy as well but deep inside she was fervently looking forward to any news from Andromeda regarding her daughter Cassie.

It took three days before she received an owl from Andromeda. She locked herself in the bathroom to read what was said in the parchment.

_My Dearest Cissa,_

_I have no other way of telling you this, so here it goes. As soon as we found a place to hide, I came for Cassie at the orphanage but it seems that I was too late. What was left of the orphanage was a lot of debris. Some witnesses mentioned an explosion so I'm guessing it was an attack from the Death Eaters. I tried looking for traces of Cassie but could only find the bracelet you gave her. They said that many young children where crushed by the rubble and people are still looking for any signs of life but some were hopeless that they could still find survivors of the tragedy but it's been four days already. I'm deeply sorry that this happened. I will owl you once I have more news._

_Your Sister,_

_Andromeda_

Narcissa was distraught. How could this have happened? All along she thought was she did would free her daughter from danger but it seems all were for nothing. She could no longer hide her sadness. Everyone just assumed that it was because her sister Bellatrix was caught and sent to Azkaban.

Weeks turned to months and months turned to years. Narcissa has still not heard from her sister. She thought her sister abandoned her. Her only happiness now comes from this sweet little boy she truly came to love as her own.

One day while Lucius was out with their son buying books at Flourish and Blotts, an owl came by her bedroom window to deliver a message. It read,

"_Dearest Cissa,_

_How are you my dear sister? I hope you're doing well despite of everything that's happened. I have what I think is good news for you. After the incident at the orphanage, I was able to confirm that no one by Cassie's description was found in the remaining debris. To verify this I went to every morgue (that is where Muggles keep the remains temporarily) to check for her and found nothing. Next stop, I went to check on the hospitals and orphanages were the children who survived the disaster where brought in and no sign of her there either, so I'm assuming that she must be alive somewhere. I'm hoping that her magic saved her from harm. I do hope you have forgiven me. I have been full of remorse since that day I lost your daughter. I've played back in the back of my mind what I could have missed out and it struck me to go to 12 Grimmauld Place. You remember it was our family's ancestral home and if Cassie was still alive her name would still be visibly etched in the tapestry of the Black family tree because as far as I can recall you didn't tell me if you also removed her name from there. I thought that you may have overlooked that detail since the house was unoccupied and no one has lived nor visited the place in ages. It was only last week that I finally had the opportunity to sneak back to our home unnoticed. I immediately went to the drawing and saw Cassie's name so visible as ours dear sister!_

It's been eleven years and Narcissa almost gave up that longing to find her daughter. She was now happy with the family she has. She had long accepted that yearning for the daughter she lost will remain a memory that will be sooner or later be forgotten as time passes by. Now, that aspiration came into full force again. She continued reading her sister's letter.

"_I heard Draco has been accepted to Hogwarts, I'm happy for you and for your son. You may want to look out for any signs of your daughter being accepted to Hogwarts. I have this gut feeling that she could be there. Until next time, I wish you and your family well._

_Your sister always,_

_Andromeda"_

Narcissa was elated. She felt like she had been given another chance to see her daughter. She wondered what she would look like. Would she have any semblance to Lucius or her side of the family instead? She can't wait for the day when they'll accompany Draco to King's Cross wishing she could have at least a glance of Cassie just in case she's indeed headed for Hogwarts as her sister speculated.

Finally the day came for Draco's first day in his first year at Hogwarts. She looked as her son. She was proud. He grew up well than she had expected for a Muggleborn. He was smart and had talent for Quidditch. It wasn't hard maintaining Draco's looks as his son was already a good looking boy to start with but she had to permanently charm them a little along the way such that he bears great resemblance to Lucius. She excused herself that she'll stop by at Madam Malkin's to order additional robes for Draco and then meet up with them at King's Cross. In truth, Narcissa wanted to be there early as she wouldn't want to miss out on having the chance to see Cassie in case she will be there.

After waiting for almost an hour she saw this little girl with brown bushy hair that coincidentally looked like her sister Bellatrix when they were just children running along the platform while waving to what seems to be her parents. Her heart skipped wildly. In her mind she could be this girl. She was rooted to where she stood when that little girl accidentally bumped into her as she wasn't looking while bidding her parents farewell.

Hermione cursed at herself mouthing an apology towards the stunning regal-looking woman and for some reason found her self staring back at the beauteous lady. It felt weird that the lady was looking sharply at her. She was afraid that she might get scolded by the lady so she immediately excused herself and run as far away as fast as possible straight into the concealed barrier that was Platform 9 ¾ .

Narcissa was in bliss she was sure that was her daughter. She heard her so-called parents call her- Hermione.

**Back to the Present:**

Draco was beyond shocked. He grew up with Pureblood ideals surely he was still a Pureblood because he was quite certain by no means will a Malfoy adopt a Halfblood. Then it occurred to him that his parents could be as poor as the Weasleys and had no choice but to give him up for adoption but then he surmised that to be impossible. Most Pureblood families except for those who are blood traitors are usually well off though they may not be as affluent as a Malfoy. And he's quite sure that Lucius would never embrace someone that came from blood traitors. Maybe he heard wrong. He couldn't be adopted. His name was on the Malfoy family tapestry in their family drawing room at Malfoy Manor. He could freely apparate in or out of Malfoy Manor because only Malfoy blood was permitted to do so. Something was definitely wrong with her mother. She could be having a mental breakdown.

Narcissa was crying out loud now. "You have to find Hermione Granger! She's the only one who can save Lucius!"

"Mother, I know Granger's smart but she's not that intelligent that she can cure father immediately using whatever knowledge is in that witty head of hers. Granted I'm not your son, surely father has a living relative somewhere we can ask for blood. Be sensible mother."

"You don't understand…Hermione is our daughter. Please Draco, for your father's sake; kindly bring Hermione back to us. He needs her now. We haven't got time to waste. I'll explain to you later." Narcissa pleaded still in tears.

* * *

At 12 Grimmauld Place, a loud crack woke up the sleeping baby.

"What in Merlin's name are you doing her Malfoy?" Ginny demanded.

"Where's Potter, I need to speak to him."

Harry Potter appeared from the kitchen, "I'm here Malfoy; you don't have to shout. What do you want?"

"I need to find Granger. It's a matter of life and death."

"Who's life Malfoy? Hers?"

"No time to explain, Potter. Can you set aside being so Gryffindor at the moment and be all protective of Granger? I just need to find her. No time for discussion. I wouldn't ask you for anything if this is of no importance. Hopefully that brain of yours will figure it out."

"I'm going with you."

"Fine, suit yourself, Potter."

Draco held onto Harry Potter somehow hesitantly and disapparated from Grimmauld Place. They landed outside of Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester.

"Potter, I told you we need to find Granger. I'm not asking you to find a restaurant and bribe Granger with lunch to come with me."

"We're here because Mione is here…on a date. She will hate you for this interruption. You know that don't you?"

"She hates me already since we were in Hogwarts, so it makes no difference to me. Stop dilly-dallying Potter."

"Alright, Malfoy. Don't say I didn't warn you."

"Lead the way, Potter."

Harry immediately spotted Hermione. He was about to call for her when Draco pushed him aside and decided to approach her himself.

"Granger, we need to talk."

"What in the hell are you doing here, Malfoy. Can't you see I'm on a date?"

"Sorry, I'm her boyfriend. She's cheating on me. We have to settle our relationship once and for all." With that Draco grabbed Hermione's wrist and hauled her outdoors.

Once they were out of hearing range from the rest of the patrons of the restaurant, Hermione yelled at Draco. "What were all those lies about?"

"You have to go with me. No hitching, Potter, "Draco glared at Harry, "If you're itching to follow us, go to St. Mungo's" Then the blond and brunette disappeared into thin air.

* * *

"Mother, Granger's here."

Narcissa rushed to Hermione enveloping her in a tight embrace as she begged her. "Dear, please save Lucius…save your father."


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2:**

Shock was an understatement. Hermione Granger was mortified. Her nightmares about the war…about Voldemort…about Bellatrix torturing her would pale in comparison to what she just heard. Sure, Hermione Granger knew that she was sort of adopted but never in her wildest dreams would she have thought that she's a Malfoy. How could she be one? She almost died when Lucius and his cohorts attacked the Department of Mysteries a couple of years ago. Then, she thought…Merlin! Draco Malfoy-that prat, who's been making her life bloody hell, is her brother? But Draco pretended to be his boyfriend earlier. Eeeooow! Talk about incest! No! It can't be possible! She's no Malfoy. Erase that, she can't be a Malfoy! Malfoys are a family of bloody prejudiced Death Eaters! This is all so overwhelming. Maybe she …

"Dear…Hermione…" Narcissa nudged the stunned brunette.

"What?...How?..." Hermione finally came to utter in bewilderment.

"I'm your, Mother Hermione. I've known for quite some time now. I will explain to you later, what's imperative now is to keep your father alive. Will you do that for us, dear?"

Still speechless and confused, Hermione just nodded.

Draco still can't believe that the Gryffindor Princess is a Malfoy. So, where does that leave him? His mother told him that he's not their son; so he was adopted then. What troubles him was why did they adopt him when they clearly had a daughter? Is it some cunning plan on Lucius' part? Something, he concocted to save their asses in case Voldemort lost the battle? Deceive everyone and pass up their daughter as Muggleborn then later on reveal that Hermione Granger is a Malfoy to help them endear themselves to the Ministry? Nah…that couldn't be, it's too intricate; something that Lucius would not be capable to think of. For Lucius blood and family is important; and he would not forsake his family just for that reason alone. So, it goes back again to how it bloody came to be that Hermione Granger is in fact … a Malfoy. Then something clicked. If Granger, the brightest witch of her age is indeed Lucius and Narcissa's daughter, does it mean then that everything that Lucius drilled on him since he was a boy was actually right? If the know-it-all who overcame everything was proof, could it be that Purebloods are really superior compared to Halfbloods and Muggleborns? This is giving him a headache. He needs answers.

"Malfoy!" Potter yelled as he came rushing to Draco. "I've been looking all over for Hermione. Where did you take her?"

"Relax, Potter. She's with the healers."

"Healers? Is she alright? Did you do something to her?" Harry looked at him suspiciously.

"Stop looking at me like I've just summoned Voldemort. Your precious friend is fine. "

Again, Harry stared at him skeptically. Did he just hear the youngest death Eater in history say Voldemort's name out loud? And where in Merlin's name is Hermione?

"Potter, I'm pretty certain even in the Muggle world staring is rude, so can you just quit gawking at me."

"I swear Malfoy if you did something to her…"

"You'll what? Have them lock me up in Azkaban? I'm not afraid of you, Potter."

"Mr. Potter, your friend Hermione is alright. The healers just need some of her blood." Narcissa decided to cut in as the young men are starting to get agitated.

Harry was startled and turned around He did not notice that Narcissa Malfoy was the woman seated behind him by her lonesome.

"Please have a seat, Mr. Potter. Can I call you, Harry?"

Harry nodded and took a seat beside Draco's mother.

"I'm certain you have a lot of questions on your mind. Rest assured that no harm has come to Hermione. They need my daughter's blood to heal Lucius-his father."

Draco smirked. That revelation just rendered the Boy-Who-Lived literally stupefied.

Harry was dumbfounded. Did he just hear Narcissa imply that Hermione is her and Lucius Malfoy's daughter?

"By your expression, you seem doubtful of what I've just told you. Yes, Harry; Hermione Granger is a Malfoy. I'm disclosing this information to you since you're obviously a very close friend of my daughter. And before you go on hating her for not telling you; no, she doesn't know that she's a Malfoy. It's quite a tale but I'd prefer to discuss this first with her. I'm sure you understand the sensitivity of this subject. So, let's all patiently wait for her without any arguments if possible." Narcissa spoke firmly while looking back at her son then Harry.

Three hours passed when Hermione came back accompanied by the Healers.

Harry immediately went to Hermione's side and held her hand and mumbled a soft, "Are you alright?"

"Uhm…Mrs. Malfoy, Mr. Malfoy is asking for you and Draco." Hermione spoke breaking her silence.

Narcissa approached Hermione and enveloped her in a tight embrace. "Thank you so much, Hermione. I knew we could count on you."

"Uhm…I should be going now." Hermione informed them with some hesitation.

"I know this isn't the best way to have known that Lucius and I are your parents but I insist that you join us. After all, you're a Malfoy, too."

Hermione was lost. She's always wanted to know who her parents were but now that she's here at this point in time, she's suddenly reluctant to learn about her real family.

Harry tapped her shoulder, "You can go with them if you want. I'll be here waiting for you."

* * *

It's been three months since that fateful day. Hermione now lived with the Malfoys by Narcissa's request. Everything in her world was turned upside down. Lucius kept on showering her with gifts which she found hard to refuse as her father was only trying his best to make up for all those years he missed as well as for all the torment she's been through fighting against the ideals that his father believed in. On the other hand, Narcissa kept on prodding her to have a party in her honor which she continuously declines. At least the Malfoys granted her request to retain her surname, Granger and only use Malfoy in financial transactions such as in Gringotts. Now, Draco avoids her presence as much as possible, though he was at least civil towards her in public or when they have meals together as a family. For some reason she kind of misses their exchange of banter and bickering. She thinks that it's because he's afraid to be out of Lucius' favor and be disinherited now that it's common knowledge he's not a real Malfoy. Surprisingly amidst of it all, Harry and the Weasleys are most supportive of her. They continue to send her owls and she pays them a visit at the Burrow or have lunch with them on Sundays like how it used to be. She still works in the Ministry as the Head of the Improper Use of Magic Division under the Department of Magical Law Enforcement which is basically a nicer way of saying she's the one responsible for investigating and tracking down dark wizards. Talk about irony. Rita Skeeter remains to be a pain what with all those ludicrous rumors she keeps on writing about her that Lucius bought the Daily Prophet just to have the luxury of firing Rita Skeeter. But the Malfoys have enemies and those wizards were what kept Rita afloat as she continues to spout poison in her new writing endeavor called Wizarding Daily. Hermione mused that ever since it became known to the Wizarding World that she was a Malfoy, she's never had a day without some kind of upheaval going on around her. Unknown to the Wizarding World, Lucius is furious at Narcissa for lying to him for so long that he refuses to sleep in the same room with her so they ended up occupying the opposite wings of the Manor. Poor Draco was caught in the middle of his warring parents that he has chosen to keep himself busy working as CEO of Malfoy Enterprises. Often times, he would just be at the family library reading or thinking about stuff when he's through with all the work in the office. As of this day, he's still hesitant to confront his mother about his parentage because even if Hermione is already living with them, her treatment of him never changed. So, he feels it would be ungrateful of him to pose those questions to Narcissa when clearly he knows she doesn't want to speak of it. Another thought that kept bugging him was deciding whether to leave the Manor and live independently. He doesn't want to appear like some distasteful ingrate but his staying at the Manor is getting more awkward by each passing day. He feels uncomfortable calling Narcissa and Lucius, Mother and Father in front of Hermione and when he pauses and continues on doing so, he would see Lucius just raise an eyebrow. One thing for sure though, he doesn't want to resign his post at Malfoy Enterprises. It's not because of the money, it's rather because he owes the Malfoys and working his ass off for the company is the only way he can think of to repay them for all those years he was brought up as their son. As of late, Draco has been second-guessing his decisions spending his time reflecting, rationalizing his emotions and this was the state Lucius found him in the library.

"Draco, I didn't know you arrived already. You didn't join us for dinner earlier."

"Oh…good evening, Father. I was not feeling well earlier."

"And so you came to the library instead of to rest in your room?"

Damn. Draco thought. He was caught lying.

"I just thought that it would be good for you guys to spend dinner with Hermione without me."

"And why is that better?"

"You know…family bonding and stuff."

"Draco, look at me. Let me make it clear to you. Yes, Hermione is mine and your mother's daughter but that doesn't mean you're not our son anymore. You are our son and will always be that way. Whatever your roots maybe, you were raised a Malfoy and a Malfoy you shall remain. Do you understand? Don't let others degrade your heritage because in my eyes and your mother's you are a Malfoy. Get it?"

"Yes, Father," was only Draco's curt response.

"And one more thing, I don't want you avoiding Hermione. I'm not daft as not to notice you're avoiding her. Just be yourself around her. You'll have to get used to living with each other because I won't permit that either one of you move out of the Manor."

"I will do my best, Father."

"Also, while you're at it, try being nice to her and if it's not too much to ask I hope in the end you'll get to marry her."

"Father?" He questioned in shock.

"You heard me right. Think about it. There's no other person I would trust to be with Hermione except you because we know you. Not only that you're quite clever like her at least I would be guaranteed of having smart grandchildren."

"But, Father…she hates my guts…or rather she despises even the sight of me. She's just being civil because of you and mother."

"She can't hate you forever, son. You're living together in this house. That's your advantage to whoever wants to date my daughter. Use it. You're not in Slytherin for nothing."

"I can't believe I'm hearing this from you." Draco exclaimed in disbelief.

"Why is it that you're so averse to this? Are you dating someone? I hope not Parkinson or any of the Greengrasses. They're only after our money."

"I'm not dating anyone, Father. It's just that it's Hermione Granger that we're talking about here. You know, Harry Potter's best friend? And I'm Draco Malfoy, Harry Potter's most hated person next to Voldemort himself."

"So, you're no longer in school and Potter and my daughter did testify in favor of you."

"But…"

"I'm not forcing you to marry her. Just think about it. I would not hold it against you if in the end you decide against it. If and when the time comes that Narcissa and I pass on, all of our wealth will be still be shared equally between the two of you."

Draco doesn't know how to answer Lucius' request. Not even in a million lifetimes or even in any lifetime for that matter did it even occur to him that Lucius would ask him of this. Hermione is Pureblood after all while he doesn't even know whether he's Halfblood or worst that he's Muggleborn.

Lucius continued, "You don't have to give me your response immediately. All I ask is just give it some thought. By the way, I hope you join us for breakfast tomorrow morning and none of that early business meeting excuse you're so fond of using."

* * *

Hermione still find it hard to sleep in the Manor. Sometimes she still has those nightmares of Bellatrix torturing her. At first, she was opposed to live in the Manor considering her bad memories of the place but she wanted to be fair to her parents. She wanted to give them the chance to get to know her and for her to get to know them. That's why she gave in to their appeals of having her stay at the Manor indefinitely. However, tonight is one of those days she wished she didn't cave in to their request. Since sleep was so elusive, she figured she'll just go to the library to get a few books for some light reading.

Draco was heading out the door still in deep thought when he bumped into the very person occupying the recesses of his mind.

"Watch it, Malfoy."

"Oh, sorry 'bout that."

"Now, will you get your hands off of me?"

"Oh…oh! I'm…"

Before he could finish with his apologies, Hermione cut him off. "…sorry. Yeah, I know that already…your hands…" Hermione pointed out to him as she looked at his arms still halfway encircled around her.

"Ooops…sorry again" Draco muttered as he finally let go of her.

Damn. Draco imagined he must have looked like a halfwit before her now.

Draco tried to regain his composure, "So, what's keeping you up so late at night, Granger?"

"Oh, you know just the usual, nightmares of your aunt torturing me. Oh wait! She's not your aunt. She's my aunt...such an irony, huh?" She scoffed at him.

"I'm sorry to hear that. " Draco apologized once more.

"Are you really?"

"Of course, I am. Where is this coming from Granger? What's with all the hostility?"

"Guess what? I hate it here but I don't have the heart to tell my own parents that I hate sleeping in this awful house."

"They'll understand. They're not as selfish as you think. They'll let you go live on your own if that's' what you really want." Draco assured her.

Hermione eyed him in scrutiny.

"Staring is rude, you know." Draco retorted to lighten the mood.

Hermione laughed. Draco was puzzled. She was somewhat angry earlier and now she's laughing at him.

"What's so funny?"

"You."

"Me?"

"You're so lame now. It's a pity, you know."

"I don't understand."

"Whatever act you're trying to project, it's not working. It doesn't suit you."

"And what pray tell suits me, if you don't mind my asking."

"We both know it's just an act so just be your casual … oh I don't know… rude self?" She countered.

"Really? So, how's this?" Before she could react, Hermione found herself trapped in between the door and Malfoy with Malfoy firmly holding both her hands and leaning closer to her.

"Stop it, Malfoy. This isn't funny."

It was Draco's turn to laugh this time. "You know what's funny, Granger? You keep referring me as Malfoy when in fact you're the real Malfoy."

"Is that it? You're mad at me because I stole your position of being the Malfoy heir?"

"You're mistaken Granger. Believe it or not, I'm relieved." Draco whispered in her ear.

"I said let go, Malfoy, or you'll live to regret it."

Draco didn't know what possessed him and he just found himself nibbling her ear and sensually caressing her neck. When he heard her stifle a moan, he let himself go and kissed her hungrily as if his life depended on it.

Hermione kept struggling but it became a losing battle when he started making out with her. When she finally came to her senses, she willed herself to push him away then slapped him as hard as she could.

Draco stood still looking intently at her before saying, "Do what you must. I don't regret it." Then, he left her without even an apology.


End file.
